Sweet dreams are made of these

In my quest to not diet, enjoy life, and just be me, but a healthier me, I made a super delicious dinner tonight.

I had to go into town to go grocery shopping after school and, of course, there's a snow storm going on (the kind where people miraculously forget to how to drive), so it took for-freaking-ever to get there and then home again.  It was late by the time we got everything unloaded and my kids were moaning about growling tummies, so the meal I had planned on wasn't happening.  I needed something quick, but I still wanted to stay healthy.  I had some ham steaks on hand, so I heated those up.  I had a BBQ ranch broccoli slaw that I had gotten at Sam's (and it's divine), so we had that with it.  And, I had bought some sweet potatoes tonight, too.

Now, I've bought sweet potatoes before and they always end up moldering away in the pantry until I toss them out.  Not only have I never been a fan of that overly syrupy marshmallow glob covered dish served on Thanksgiving, but I just didn't know what to do with them or how to cook them.  Yet, I still bought them from time to time with some crazy idea that just never hatched fully or got carried out to completion.  In my research this weekend, I learned that the sweet potato is a powerful little commodity in the battle of the bulge, so I bought them again tonight.  And I was determined to get over my fears and use them.  Thanks to Google and some modifications, I added sweet potatoes to the meal to help fill those ever hollow bellies that I live with.

Can I just say . . . O.  M.  G.  soooo fricken good!  How did I not know these existed to be cooked this way?  These may become a new guilty pleasure.

So, how'd I do it?  I washed 4 medium sized sweet potatoes and then poked them twice (once on each "side") with a steak knife.  Then, I put them in the microwave for 10 minutes on high.  I pulled them out, sliced them open in half and then kind of pulled the knife through the meat inside to kind of open it up for the seasoning.  I put a pat of butter in the middle of the crease and then sprinkled a little sea salt and a whole lot of pepper all over them.  Then, I put them in a 450 degree oven until smoke billowed out the front because I failed to take into account the high heat, the butter and the fact that I put the spuds on my rectangular cooking stone and not one that had sides.

Oops.

But, it was maybe about 5 minutes or so that they were in there.  After opening the windows and turning all the fans on to air the house out, I dished up dinner - including the now smoked sweet potatoes.

Despite a near tragedy, these babies were delicious!  Tender and savory with just a hint of sweet.  Not that overpowering syrupy sickness that I was used to pairing with a sweet potato.  No, THIS is how a sweet potato should be made.

My guys agreed they were good, but were maybe not as enthusiastic as I've been over them.  But, what do they know?  They eat boogers.